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Jakarta Post

KPK to appeal verdict clearing Banten governor's brother of money laundering charges

The Jakarta Corruption court sentenced Wawan last week to four years in prison for accepting bribes, but declared him not guilty on two money laundering charges he faced for allegedly laundering about Rp 1.9 trillion reportedly obtained from illicit activities.

Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, July 23, 2020 Published on Jul. 23, 2020 Published on 2020-07-23T12:02:25+07:00

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The Jakarta Corruption Court has sentenced Tubagus "Wawan" Chaeri Wardana, the younger brother of former Banten governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah, to four years in prison for his involvement in a corruption case related to several projects in the province. The Jakarta Corruption Court has sentenced Tubagus "Wawan" Chaeri Wardana, the younger brother of former Banten governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah, to four years in prison for his involvement in a corruption case related to several projects in the province. (Antara/Nova Wahyudi)

T

he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is set to file an appeal against the sentence handed down to graft convict Tubagus "Wawan" Chaeri Wardana after the Jakarta Corruption Court found him guilty of bribery but cleared him of his money laundering charges.

Wawan, the younger brother of former Banten governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah, was sentenced last week by the court to four years in prison for accepting bribes related to several state projects in the province. However, the bench declared him not guilty on two money laundering charges he faced for allegedly laundering about Rp 1.9 trillion reportedly obtained from illicit activities.

KPK spokesperson Ali Fikri said the not guilty verdict for money laundering was the main reason for the appeal, adding that the antigraft commission felt the ruling "has not fulfilled the public's sense of justice".

"We will elaborate on the full reasons in the appeal dossier, which we will immediately submit to the Jakarta High Court through the Central Jakarta District Court," Ali said in a statement on Wednesday.

The sentence Wawan received was lighter than the six years of prison sought by the prosecutors. 

Read also: Disgraced Banten governor’s younger brother convicted of corruption

During the verdict hearing last week, Wawan's lawyer said he would also consider appealing the sentence.

KPK prosecutors indicted Wawan for accepting Rp 58 billion in bribes pertaining to health equipment procurement for hospitals in Banten and community health centers (Puskesmas) in Tangerang in the 2012 fiscal year. The bribery cases were found to have caused Rp 94.31 billion in state losses.

For his crimes, the court also ordered Wawan to pay a fine of Rp 200 million (US$13,679) and Rp 58 billion in restitution. He was found guilty of violating articles 3 and 18 of the 2001 Corruption Law, which prohibit individual acts of self-gain that cause state losses.

The conviction was the third for Wawan, who previously had been sentenced to seven years in prison in 2014 for his involvement in bribery pertaining to a regional election dispute in Lebak regency. Two years later, the judges gave him an additional year of prison in a separate corruption case pertaining to health equipment procurement in Banten.

He is currently also on trial for allegedly bribing Wahid Husen, the former head of Sukamiskin Penitentiary in Bandung, West Java, in exchange for luxurious facilities while serving his prison time there.

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